Southern Sandbur (Southern Sandspur)

Scientific Name - Cenchrus echinatus L.
Family - Gramineae

Turfted summer annual, occasionally with some stems bending and rooting at the lower nodes. Stems frequently reddish at base. Leaf blade smooth or slightly sandpapery. Leaf sheath smooth. Seedhead a spike of spiny burs. Spines on bur body flattened. Spines at base of bur a ring of rounded bristles. Reproduces by seed. Found in disturbed sandy areas. Occurs throughout the South from North Carolina west to New Mexico. Also occurs in the West Indies, Mexico, Uruguay, South America, Africa, Oceania, India, and Hawaii.